Drop wire clamps are used to secure a telephone drop wire from a pole mounted strand to a customer's premises. Known clamps, such as that manufactured and sold by Diamond Communication Products, Garwood, N.J., include a wedge assembly having an assembled bail wire, a shell in which the wedge assembly is received, and a shim which is inserted by the installer through a longitudinal slot in the shell, between the wedge and the cable, so as to protect the cable from the wedge and to help maintain the cable in place.
One difficulty which arises with these typical drop wire clamps is that they are too narrow to accommodate the new 6 pair drop wire cables recently introduced in the telephone market. Further, these known drop wire clamps are inconvenient for the installer, since the installer must carry three pieces--the two-piece clamp itself and the shim. Since the installation often takes place high off the ground, it is dangerous to have the installer fumbling for a separate shim with one hand while holding the cable within the shell with the other hand.
Although it is known to provide small circular dimples on the shim, these dimples do not deform the cable sufficiently to provide any enhanced gripping action.
Okura Electric Industry of Tokyo, Japan sells a drop wire clamp wherein the wedge and shell are connected by a hinge to form a one-piece unit and prevent the wedge from falling out during installation. However, this structure is cumbersome and does not include a protective shim.